E D F A C T
February 2002
Resource Guide:
Creating a Quality After-School Program
®
Clarifying
Complex
Education
Issues
I
n a January 2002 report, the California
Department of Education (CDE) links student participation in the state-funded Before
and After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods Partnerships Program to improved academic
achievement, particularly for the state’s most at-risk
students. This report adds to public sentiment and
much expert opinion that after-school programs
can provide important support for students to meet
the high expectations set for them by the state’s
standards-based reforms.
Today in California, local educators and
community-based organizations have an unprecedented opportunity to put such programs in place
at the schools in their communities. Several events
have come together to make this true, including:
✔ Governor Gray Davis’ high-
Two major government
programs
Before and After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods
Partnerships Program’s website
offers application information, eligibility requirements, a list of grantees,
the downloadable 2001 evaluation
report, and recent news regarding
this state program. In addition, the
site provides a list of links to national
and state after-school efforts, as well
as links to information on funding,
technical assistance, and state and
federal policy.Website:
www.cde.ca.gov/afterschool/
21st Century Community
Learning Centers’ website offers
information on recent changes to this
federal program, current budget data,
access to the national grantee database, and a list of frequently asked
questions and their answers. Also, the
site provides an extensive list of links
to agencies and organizations committed to studying, supporting, and
providing information on after-school
programming around the country.
Website: www.ed.gov/21stcclc
profile proposal to increase
funding by $75 million for
the After School Partnerships program in 2002–03.
✔ A pending initiative that
could go on the California
ballot as soon as November
2002 that seeks to provide
state funds for an afterschool program at every elementary and middle school
in the state.
✔ An increase in the federal
21st Century Community
Learning Centers program,
which is expected to provide $45 million for new
programs in California.
But how can Californians
make sure that the time and resources they put into creating
and developing after-school programs are a worthwhile investment? This brief guide will lead
you to some recognized resources for evaluating, developing, and funding such programs.
It will also help you become familiar with the many organizations working in the field and
the resources they offer.
Some key organizations working
on after-school issues
The Afterschool Alliance supports and coordinates activities and advocacy. It grew out of the
partnership between the Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.
202/296-9378; website: www.afterschoolalliance.org
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time
(NIOST) strives to ensure that all children, youth,
and families have access to high-quality programs,
activities, and opportunities during non-school
hours. 781/283-2547; website: www.niost.org
Community Network for Youth Development
(CNYD) provides technical assistance and support
to agencies that serve youth and works with funders
and policymakers to help them better align their
resources with these agencies’ efforts. In 2001,
CNYD published the Youth Development Guide
to introduce key youth development principles and
practices to the diverse group of people who are
creating and implementing after-school programs.
415/495-0622; e-mail: info@cnyd.org
National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) is
a national membership organization that promotes
national standards and grants accreditation to quality school-age care programs meeting the standards.
617/298-5012; website: www.nsaca.org
Resource Guide on After-School Programs
Key studies and reports
Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth
Development. A report on 10 years of research looking into
how community-based organizations contribute to the
success of youths growing up in challenging settings. Public
Education Network. 2000. Ordering information at:
www.PublicEducation.org
Working for Children and Families: Safe and Smart After-School
Programs. This report presents “positive research and examples illustrating the potential of quality after-school activities” and details some of the characteristics of successful
programs. United States Departments of Education and Justice. April 2000. The full text is available at: www.ed.gov
The Future of Children: When School Is Out. A compendium of
articles, written by national experts, on key issues related to
after-school care, including the unmet need and challenges of
program quality. The David and Lucille Packard Foundation.
Fall 1999. For downloadable copies: www.futureofchildren.org
Review of Extended-day and After-school Programs and their
Effectiveness. This report reviews the effectiveness of 34
after-school programs and lists components for effective
programs. Johns Hopkins University, Center for Research
on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR).
Report #24, October 1998. A downloadable copy of the
report is available at: www.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/crespar.html
Learning Together: The Developing Field of School-Community
Initiatives. Reports on a project that maps 20 nationally recognized school-community initiatives. Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation. September 1998. For an executive summary:
www.mott.org
From EdSource
Expansion of Out-of-School Programs Aims at Improving Student
Achievement examines the new focus on out-of-school programs, the research on creating quality programs, and the
emerging policy questions around expanded government
funding for them. This 24-page EdSource report also includes brief profiles of programs operating throughout
California.To order, go to: www.edsource.org
EdSource is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization
established in California in 1977.
®
Independent and impartial, EdSource strives to
advance the common good by developing and widely
distributing trustworthy, useful information that clarifies
complex K–12 education issues and promotes thoughtful decisions about California’s public schools.
This EdFact may be reprinted, with credit to EdSource.
© Copyright 2002 by EdSource, Inc.
●
February 2002
National Community Building Network (NCBN) is a national organization that brokers information and connections
among community builders. Among its aims, the network
strives to help communities integrate services, build on their
existing strengths, support families, encourage broad-based
participation, and forge collaborative partnerships.
510/663-6226; website: www.ncbn.org
California Department of Education/Foundation Consortium
Partnership is a public/private partnership committed to building regional and local capacity to make after-school programs
more effective in meeting the needs and interests of children,
families, and their communities. The Center for Collaborative
Services is the partnership’s “Afterschool Intermediary.” The
role of the intermediary is to help strengthen local and regional capacity, develop programs, and leverage resources so
after-school programs can meet their goals. 916/567-9911;
website: www.ccscenter.org/main/AfterSchoolIntermediary.htm
National Center for Community Education focuses on helping schools become more community-oriented by delivering
needed neighborhood services—such as health care, adult education, and recreational opportunities—at the school site.
The organization provides leadership training and technical
assistance. 810/238-0463; website: www.nccenet.org
Additional online resources
Beyond the Bell: A Toolkit for Creating Effective AfterSchool Programs assists after-school staff in making program
decisions in six key areas: management, collaboration,
programming, integration with the traditional school day,
evaluation, and communication. www.ncrel.org/after
Children Now is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that
provides annual statistical reviews on the status of California’s
children and makes recommendations for change. In May
2001, the organization published After School Care for Children: Challenges for California, which can be downloaded
for free from its website. The site also contains links to online
child welfare and education sources. www.childrennow.org
What Kids Can Do is a national nonprofit organization that
works to connect the previously separate fields of school reform, youth development, community development, service
learning, and school-to-work. The resources web page offers a
wealth of links from many disciplines. www.whatkidscando.org
For more information about our organization, a catalog
of our publications, or details on how to subscribe to
our Information Service, please contact us at:
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in our work.
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650/857-9604 Fax: 650/857-9618
e-mail: edsource@edsource.org
Or visit us on the web at:
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Front-page photo courtesy of
LA’s BEST After-School Program.
For data about every school and
district in California, visit the
Education Data Partnership at:
www.ed-data.k12.ca.us